Handwritten Notes

With the growth of electronic media -- texting, online chats, email, electronic greeting cards, video conferencing -- it's no longer "necessary" to write a handwritten note, address and seal the envelope, affix a postage stamp and get the thing mailed.

Yet what a joy it is to receive a handwritten note of gratitude, sympathy or congratulations!

Call us old-fashioned, but we heartily believe the handwritten note is due for a comeback. The handwritten note is poised, if you make the effort, to do miraculous things. We believe:

A handwritten note will make you stand out above all those who plugged the recipient's name and email address into an automated e-card online system and automatically spit out the e-card on the appropriate date. A handwritten note makes you really special to the recipient.

Handwriting a note will show that you made an extra effort, showing true caring, concern, delight, appreciation and personal interest.

When you handwrite a note, you recognize the individual and show that you respect him or her, enough to make you go the extra step.

The recipient of your handwriten note may remember you for a long time to come. "A bird (note) in the hand is worth two in the bush (email)," the saying goes (modified, of course, to get our point across).

I still have the "happy new house" cards sent to my husband and me when we moved across country four years ago: taped to the side of a bookcase in my office, where I have added thank-you cards and more since that big move (see photo, above). Many recipients, like me, keep those handwritten cards indefinitely.

Handwritten Notes for Business

In today's hustle and bustle and electric world, handwritten notecards are valued as a "high touch" and "personalized" form of communication. Use them for marketing your business and building relationships and you'll see great results.

Send a handwritten note to request a meeting and to thank someone for a meeting, lunch or something special they did for you. You're the client or vendor to remember!

A handwritten note card or letter to a child, a teenager, a young person is often treasured and preserved for many years (I still have a letter handwritten by Grandma Mueller to her daughter, my mom, in which she mentions her love for us grandchildren. The letter was written in 1948 and I still treasure it.).

Handwritten words of encouragement to a young person are extraordinarily special and heartfelt!